Introduction 1
1 History 6
The Rise of a Nation 9
The Rise to Power 17
From Isolation to Superpower 23
The Cold War 26
The 1990s 34
2 Land and People 37
The Land 39
The People 45
Regions 51
Immigration 70
3 Government 77
The Constitution 78
The Federal System 84
The Branches of Government 88
4 The Political System 106
The 2004 Election 106
Participatory Democracy 107
Political Parties 113
Politics 119
5 Society 131
Class 131
The American Family 136
Women 141
Race 143
Crime and Punishment 149
6 Religion,Education,and Social Policy 156
Religion 156
Education 169
Social Services 182
7 Culture 189
Diversity 189
The Rise of American Culture 191
Leisure Time 193
Print Media 197
Mass Entertainment 201
Government Activities 205
The World Wide Web 206
Sports 208
The Arts 211
Popular Music 214
8 The Economy 218
The US Domestic Economy 220
Labor Unions 224
Business and Industry 226
Government and Business 229
The Global Marketplace 235
The Dollar and the Trade Deficit 238
9 Foreign Policy 240
Separation of Powers and Foreign Policy 240
The Administration of Foreign Policy 242
History of Foreign Policy 244
The Cold War,1945-1991 247
The New World Order 252
The Bush Administration 256
10 Conclusion 268
The Home Front 269
Foreign Affairs 272
Conclusion 276
Appendix:Constitution of the United States 279
Recommended Reading 293
America on the Internet 297
Bibliography 299